The Great Race has been the catalyst for some great road cars over the years.

Top 5: Bathurst 1000 inspired road cars

The Great Race has been the catalyst for some great road cars over the years.

Top 5: Bathurst 1000 inspired road cars

10 Oct 2014Stephen Ottley

Holden Commodore VK SS Group AThere's an old adage that car maker's use to justify going motor racing; Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. The SS Group A was more a case of 'Build on Friday, win on Sunday' because the 1980s Group A rules required 500 road going examples of a car to built before it could race.

While that wasn't a problem for big brands like BMW and Ford in Europe, which quickly created racing specials, it meant Holden fell behind the competition. Fortunately Peter Brock was there to save the day - as he so often did in the '70s and '80s for Holden.

Brock and his team created a run of limited edition models with more powerful 4.9-litre V8 engines as well as racing inspired aerodynamic bodykit. Each car was painted blue in reference to Brock's major sponsor Mobil, spawning a nickname that has stuck to this day - the Blue Meanie.

Holden Commodore SS-V Craig Lowndes editionBefore Brock retired he took on a young Craig Lowndes as a protege. Up until this year Lowndes has managed to live up to Brock's legacy on the racetrack but without his own line of signature Commodores.

Well that changed this week with the launch of a limited Craig Lowndes edition SS-V Redline. In addition to Lowndes' seal of approval, the new model gets a unique set of black bonnet stripes on either a red or white body. Unfortunately though there's no extra power to match his V8 Supercar.

The five-time Bathurst winner is hopeful that it is just the start of a long-term relationship with more special edition Holdens to carry his name.

DJR 320 FalconDick Johnson has always liked to do things his own way and the DJR 320 was a prime example of his do-it-yourself attitude.

Peter Brock created his own range of racing inspired Commodores in the 1980s.

Despite putting him in competition with the then-recently formed Ford Performance Vehicles, Johnson partnered with renowned Falcon tuner Herrod Motorsports to produce this limited edition 320kW (hence the name) Falcon.

The partnership didn't cut corners on the performance front with extensive engine modifications, overhauled suspension, bigger brakes and a new bodykit. Unfortunately DJR only managed to sell 14 examples before production stopped.

Ford Falcon XB Coupe John Goss SpecialLong before Brock put his signature on Commodores, John Goss, the only man to win the Bathurst 1000 and Australian Grand Prix, was rewarded for his 1974 victory at Mount Panorama with his own special edition Falcon coupe..

Based on the Falcon 500 Hardtop, it had a 4.9-litre Cleveland V8 under a vented bonnet with race-style locking pins, 12-slot steel wheels and a three-spoke steering wheel - to give it that racy look and feel.

Exactly how many John Goss Falcons were built is a mystery but the car has failed to become as collectable as other '70s Falcon specials, the GT-HO and Cobra.

Ford Falcon Devil R XR8Marcos Ambrose is returning to Ford's V8 Supercar fold in 2015 when he leads the new Team Penske-DJR superteam, and it's fair to say he is one of the blue oval's favourite sons.

That's because in 2005 Ford launched an Ambrose edition of the Falcon XR8, wearing the Devil R badge as a nod to the Tasmanian's Devil Racer nickname.

While it didn't get any extra grunt the Devil R did get unique 18-inch alloy wheels, premium brakes and Devil R stickers on its 'Shockwave Blue' body. Only 125 examples of the Devil R were built, making them somewhat of a collectors item.